Tina Fey Takes On HBO’s Girls On Saturday Night Live’s Hilariously Awesome Sketch

Originally published on PopWrapped.  29 September 2013.

Photo courtesy of NBC.

Remember back when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler expertly hosted the Golden Globes. Then Girls creator Lena Dunham won the titular award? Then she thanked Tina and Amy for helping her “get through middle school,” something the two hosts later good-naturedly teased her about? Well Tina Fey has taken things a step further and funnier.

In her latest hosting gig on Saturday Night Live, Fey starred with a few new cast members in one of the best SNL parody sketches yet. In a promo for the new season of HBO’s show Girls, we were introduced to Blerta (Fey) who joins the cast of twentysomethings. Fey’s deadpan delivery of Blerta’s one liners and harsh truths found a perfect home with the other “girls.”

Plus new SNL cast member Noel Wells does a pretty dead-on Dunham impression as Hannah.

Check out the clip below:

Arcade Fire Brings Awesome And Bizarre To Saturday Night Live

Originally published on PopWrapped.  29 September 2013.

Photo courtesy of NBC.

NBC’s late night Saturday line up belonged to Arcade Fire and they came through in their own bizarre and awesome way.

Beginning on the season premiere of Saturday Night Live, the rock band was not only the featured musical guest but also popped up in a sketch and debuted two songs from their album Reflektor. Following SNL, a 30-minute concert special, Here Comes the Night, included even more songs off of Reflektor, which will be released October 29th.

Starting off the night, front man and woman, Win Butler and Regine Chassagne (also husband and wife), appeared in the sketch, “New Cast Member or Arcade Fire.” The Canadian rockers showed their humorous side as host Tina Fey had to separate the band members from the new SNL cast.

Then, just after midnight, Arcade Fire took to the stage to do what they do best. Amidst costumes of all black then all white, raccoon-like makeup on Butler, and Chassagne emerging in a glass cage, the indie rock gods debuted “Reflektor” and “Afterlife.”

The first song had a sweet disco beat and alternating vocals and languages between husband and wife. In contrast, “Afterlife” sounds more like the band’s usual releases but in all the right ways. I defy anyone not to tap their foot or nod their head along with the beat.

Here Comes the Night followed straight after SNL and not only included more from Reflektor. It also had cameos from a wide range of celebrities. James Franco, Ben Stiller, Bono, Rainn Wilson, Michael Buble, Bill Hader, and more all popped up for a moment or more. And still Arcade Fire continued to bring their signature indie music to our eager ears. “Here Comes the Night,” “We Exist,” and “Normal Person” were all solid songs off of the album.

In short, if you weren’t planning to check out Reflektor before last night, chances are now you will be. I definitely am.

Guinness Beer Takes Advertising To An Emotional Level With Latest Commercial

Originally published on PopWrapped.  25 September 2013.

These days it takes a lot to make viewers watch an entire ad. Guinness’ latest commercial, however, will have you glued to the screen.

Part of their “Made of More” campaign, Guinness has constructed a heartwarming commercial that rightfully and wisely waits until the last moment to mention the product. Instead it focuses on the group of young men playing a vigorous game of wheelchair basketball. The Cinema Orchestra’s “To Build a Home” plays poignantly and perfectly in the background. Then the ad’s twist sent a surge of emotion through me.

For a commercial about beer, it is particularly powerful.

See the ad below:

Sir Paul McCartney Rocks Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Originally published on PopWrapped.  24 September 2013.

Paul McCartney knows how to rock. The 71-year-old has not missed a beat and can amp up a crowd like no one else. His outdoor concert courtesy of Guinness & Co. and Jimmy Kimmel Live! Monday night was epic, extraordinary and downright emotional.

The night started with Kimmel doing his show and proving once again that he belongs in the ranks of respected late night show hosts. He has an easy charm that lets him tease both the audience during commercial breaks and legends like McCartney during the show.

As a guest, McCartney was his normal cheeky self, confirming that there are Beatles recordings that haven’t been released. “But you wouldn’t want to hear them,” he joked. He also spoke about his upcoming record, New, which is available October 15th. The album was made with four producers, including Paul Epworth, and features original compositions from McCartney.

Also included in Monday’s show was a hilarious segment of Guillermo at the Emmys and then a brief chat between Kimmel and Patrick Dempsey. After that it was finally time for the main event: Paul McCartney live and in concert.

The performance was particularly nostalgic since next year marks the 50th anniversary of the first time The Beatles ever performed in LA. In 1964 and 1965, they played the Hollywood Bowl, less than a mile from where McCartney performed Monday night.

The former Beatle remains an immortal rock god capable of transporting men, women and children of all ages into a musical landscape different from anything they have ever experienced. Everyone bounced, swayed and sang along as McCartney did a selection his songs including tracks from New. The latter tunes were a perfect blend Beatles-esq rock with a little extra jauntiness thrown in. Unlike other musicians who randomly toss in their new songs with their well-known ones, McCartney latest compositions fit in seamlessly with the classic songs everyone loves. He made us love New as much as anything he’s ever done.

But it is the classics that we all came for and he delivered. There were tears during both “Let it Be” and “Hey Jude” but plenty of fist pumping during “Band on the Run.” It is the kind of emotional rollercoaster only someone like McCartney can conjure during an hour-long concert on Hollywood Blvd. Listening to “Lady Madonna,” “Back in the USSR,” “Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da” and many others will forever be changed for those of us who heard McCartney sing them live.

As the concert came to a close, every single person in the crowd that stretched from Hollywood and Highland back to a mile or more belted out “Hey Jude.” We were all under McCartney’s spell and we all knew it was something special.

If you missed the fun on Hollywood Blvd, you can still see the whole concert right here.

ITV Previews Downton Abbey Season Four With More Pictures

Originally published on PopWrapped.  20 September 2013.

With only two days to go before the return of the incredibly popular period drama, Downton Abbey, ten more photos from the upcoming season 4 premiere have been released by broadcaster ITV.

As if anyone could forget the tragedy laced season finale, Mary’s mourning clothes remind us all of the stunning death of Matthew. Season 4 picks up six months after Mary’s husband and the Crawley’s heir died in a car accident.

Like they have always done, the staff mourns and celebrates alongside the Crawleys as they all deal with the aftermath of losing Matthew while simultaneously welcoming his and Mary’s son to the family. Anna, who is usually closest to Lady Mary, appears concerned for the Lady’s well-being. 

Tom Branson also seems worried about Mary. The brother and sister-in-law may find common grieving ground over their shared losses (Branson’s wife Sybil, Mary’s sister, died earlier in season 3). 

Lady Edith, on the other hand, is going out into the world once more. She journeys to London where she spends plenty of quality time with magazine editor, Michael Gregson. 

The caption for this photo says the two enjoy a “bohemian lifestyle” together. Something tells me the Dowager Countless will not approve.

Over the course of three seasons we have seen Edith grow from incredibly spiteful and downright bitter to a bit reckless and wild. Remember when she kissed the married farmer? Gregson definitely seems like the best gentleman candidate Edith’s attracted so far. Except for that tiny little detail of he’s married. To a woman who is in an insane asylum. It’s all very Jane Eyre.

Still managing the Downton staff is Mr. Carson, who apparently refuses to smile for any photos. As another member of the downstairs group who is very fond of Lady Mary, Carson will be high empathetic mode. He may also find time to be pleased that he has a full staff for the first time in several years.

Speaking of the staff, the boys are returning for season 4. Let’s hope Thomas has put some of his nastiness away for good.

The ladies of the downstairs world will be hard at work as always. Daisy seems to be sticking around instead of going to her father-in-law’s farm and she appears to be working more side-by-side with the always delightful Mrs. Patmore.

Last but certainly not least we have one of the series most beloved couples. As a hardcore Bates/Anna shipper, I am really hoping these two finally get some normalcy and wedded bliss this season.

Downton Abbey Season Four premieres on ITV1 in the UK on Sunday 22nd September at 9pm.  PBS will air Season Four from January 5th 2014.

Thor’s Asgard Will Return To Its Ancient Roots Promises Films Director

Originally published on PopWrapped.  18 September 2013.

Source: Total Film

When you have one of the directors of Game of Thrones taking the reins on Thor: The Dark World, it is no surprise that the God of Thunder goes back to his ancient roots. After all, this historical connection is a large part of what separates Thor from his more modern, high tech Avengers companions.

To me the defining thing was that Thor is a superhero amongst many superheroes, but the thing that makes him different is the thing that should be featured in the movie. And that is that he’s also a warrior prince from an ancient culture,” director Alan Taylor said in an interview with Total Film.

One of the big additions is seeing Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth) on horseback, something only briefly glimpsed in the first Thor film. In addition, Thor’s homeworld, Asgard, will have more of a mix between advanced science (or magic, as we mere mortals would call it) and ancient traditions.

When thinking of another film that blends these two together to great effect, Lord of the Rings certainly comes to mind, and the comparison is a fair one according to Taylor.

“They’d (the studio) consciously steered away from that kind of thing in the first one. Because they wanted to make sure they were distinguishing themselves from Lord of the Rings. They didn’t want to be mistaken for that,” Taylor said. “But by the time I came along it seemed like they were ready to embrace a slightly more historical attitude towards it.”

To that end, Asgard will certainly look different than it did in Thor, but if the trailers are any indication, audiences are not going to be disappointed.

Thor: The Dark World opens in UK cinemas on October 30th and in US theaters on November 8th.

PBS Showcase Superheroes With A Celebration Of Comic Books

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  12 September 2013.

PBS’ “Superhero Night” has a new air date but the same awesome line up. Now airing on October 15^th, the three-hour special program is hosted and narrated by Liev Schreiber and is built around the documentary Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle. The film, from Emmy-award winning producer and director Michael Kantor, chronicles the history of comic books and some of the most beloved characters of all time.

Featured in Superheroes are a slew of cultural icons such as Stan Lee, Adam West, Lynda Carter and Geoff Johns. The late comic book creators Jerry Robinson, who co-created the Joker, and Joe Simon, co-creator of Captain America, are also included.

The documentary begins with the dawn of the comic book era and details how the Great Depression and World War II influenced the creation and popularity of heroes who embodied the American spirit. Part two moves into many of the Marvel characters we know and love. The contrast between characters like Spider-Man and the Hulk, who had problems adults identified with, and earlier heroes paved the way for contemporary social issues to be addressed within the comic book pages.

The final part of Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle focuses on the modern enthusiasm for heroes. The transition of costumed saviors like Batman into darker, more complex personalities is made possible by TV, film, and the ever-changing American culture.

Superheroes was originally intended to air over the course of three weeks beginning on October 8^th. Now the documentary will play in full on October 15^th, at 8 pm ET.  More information about the special is available at www.pbs.org/superheroes.

Outlander Have Cast Their Claire Randell

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  12 September 2013.

Starz has found the other half of its leading duo for the upcoming series, Outlander.

Caitriona Balfe will star as Claire Randell, a combat nurse from 1943 who suddenly time jumps back to 1743.

Balfe’s co-star is the incredibly handsome Sam Heughan. He will play Jaime Fraser, the charming Scots warrior who woos the married Claire when she is stuck back in time.

Outlander is an adaptation of Diana Gabaldon’s best-selling book series of the same name (the first book is re-titled as Cross Stitch in the UK). Equal parts romance, historical, and fantasy, the series began with Outlander in 1991 and will continue withWritten in My Own Heart’s Blood, which is scheduled for release this year. The TV series will start filming in Scotland this autumn, with the first of its 16 episodes airing in 2014.  

Gabaldon commented on the casting, saying, “"Hard to believe lightning can strike twice, but it surely did. The moment Caitriona Balfe came on screen, I sat up straight and said, ‘There she is!’ She and Sam Heughan absolutely lit up the screen with fireworks."

Known for her role in J.J. Abram’s Super 8, Balfe was also seen in Bryan Singer’s H+. Prior to Outlander, Balfe will be seen withArnold Schwarznegger and Sylvester Stallone in Escape Plan.

Hugh Jackman Reveals That Wolverine and Spiderman Almost Met

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  11 September 2013.

Back in 2002, we were very close to seeing a Wolverine cameo in the Spider-Man film. Hugh Jackman was on board, as was director Sam Raimi. The only problem? According to an interview in The Huffington Post Hugh Jackman said, “We couldn’t find the suit. The suit was stuck in something. And so when they were in New York when I was there, we couldn’t get it together.”

While this may seem inconsequential nowadays, what with Marvel heroes all popping up in each other’s films, however back in 2002 superhero films were just starting to gain some traction. Seeing Wolverine appear in Spider-Man would have been epically cool and could have potentially kicked off a team-up film for the two franchises.

X-Men and Spider-Man have always been linked, at least in the comic books. However, a multitude of reasons, especially Fox owning the mutants and Sony owning Spidey, have prevented a film mash up of the two. Those issues may soon be resolved in the planned fourth Amazing Spider-Man movie. Director Marc Webb said in an interview with Crave Online that he sees the potential for more characters to join the web slinger. Current Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield, echoes those sentiments, specifically calling for an Avengers/Spidey team-up.

Unfortunately, Sony told Ain’t it Cool News they are “never ever ever” going to sell the rights to Spider-Man even to that magical place known as Disney (who owns Marvel). However, if that news does not deter Jackman, it should not deter fans.

“I understand at Marvel they’ve got The Avengers, they’ve got a lot of big things going on, but at some point I just find it almost impossible that there’s not a way to bring Iron Man, all the Avengers characters, Wolverine, the X-Men characters, Spider-Man, and somehow get them in together,” he said. “I’m in for it, I’m totally up for it because I think that would be really exciting for fans across the board.”

Jackman will return as Wolverine in X-Men: Days of Future Past on May 23, 2014.

Rough Cut of Homeland Season Premiere Leaked Online

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  4 September 2013.

Online piracy has struck again and this time it hit Showtime’s critically acclaimed, Emmy-award winning drama, Homeland. The season three premiere of the show was leaked online nearly a month before its scheduled air date, September 29th.

The episode “Tin Man Down”, which is reported to lack opening credits and some visual effects and needs a few lines of dialogue re-recorded, is believed to be a workprint rather than a press screener. This means the video’s leak source is most likely connected to a post-production studio. Even without the finishing touches, the episode has been downloaded over 100,000 times on BitTorrrent, according to Deadline.

The popularity of Homeland’s leaked season three premiere should come as no surprise. TorrentFreak reports that the show was one of the most pirated TV series in 2012. In many ways the leak is a setback for file-sharing service BitTorrent, who has been making an effort to distance itself from the piracy world.

Showtime is believed to be working to combat the leak, though no official response from the network has been reported.

Check out the trailer for season three:

Season three of Homeland will premiere on September 29 on Showtime.

Benedict Cumberbatch is Rumoured To Be Joining Star Wars VII

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  2 September 2013.

The Star Wars rumor mill is whirring again with yet another tantalizing piece of gossip: Benedict Cumberbatch may be joining the cast of Episode VII.

Though the rumor has been vigorously not commented on by everyone associated with the highly anticipated new Star Warsmovie that does not mean fans are not all a-flutter.

Speculation of the Sherlock actor reuniting with his Star Trek director J.J. Abrams began when Cumberbatch abruptly departedfrom the Guillermo del Toro film, Crimson Peak. Since that movie and Star Wars are both expected to begin shooting in January 2014, fans were quick to connect the dots.

Cumberbatch’s repeated declaration of love for the lightsaber franchise has also added heat to the rumor. In a May interview with Total Film he confessed that he was, “an out-and-out kid running around with a lightsaber wanting to fly the Millennium Falcon.” He stated in the same interview that he had already approached Abrams about a role in Episode VII.

“I’ve already asked [J.J. Abrams] if I can be a lightsaber,” Cumberbatch joked. “We’re in talks – about whirring sounds and the rates for the lights and everything.”

In all seriousness though, who would Cumberbatch play in the Star Wars film? Everyone is mum on that as well, with some of the filmmakers jokingly saying he will be the villain. After his stunning performance as Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness, being a Sith Lord seems right up his alley.

Then again, the image of Cumberbatch running around in Jedi robes with a blue or green lightsaber sounds quite nice too.

Even with details being fairly nonexistent, there are two things I feel sure about: One, anything Cumberbatch did in Episode VIIwould be phenomenal. And two, after roles in Star Trek, The Hobbit trilogy, and Sherlock, a part in Star Wars: Episode VII would certainly cement Cumberbatch’s (well deserved) status as a geek god.

Trailer Released For Fan-Led Inquiry Into The Demise of Superman Lives

Originally published on PopWrapped.tumblr.com.  1 September 2013.

Back in 1997, a Superman movie starring Nicolas Cage was nearly made but before Superman Lives could get off the ground, the film was scrapped. Now a trailer for the feature-length documentary, The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?, has emerged to provide fans with a peak into the strange film that could have become a cult classic. 

Superman Lives would have been, by all accounts, the weirdest Man of Steel movie ever. Set to be directed by Tim Burton and with Kevin Smith as its writer, the film was rumored to feature a flightless Superman with a suit that glowed with electricity. He would still battle timeless villains like Lex Luthor and Brainiac. However, he would also take on polar bears and giant spiders. The script drew from the comic book story, Death of Superman, which also featured Doomsday as a main villain. Superman Lives, which was set for release in 1998, eventually died away, with Cage leaving the project in 2000.

In March 2013 Cage said in a MTV interview, a portion of which plays during the documentary trailer, that he believes Superman Lives would have been something special.

“At least it’s out there in the ether that that could have happened, but we don’t have to make the movie,” Cage said. “It’s still interesting to people.”

One of those people is Jon Schnepp.

Intrigued by this movie that never happened, he sought out to make a documentary about Superman Lives. Funded via Kickstarter with the help of more than 2,100 backers, The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? chronicles everything about the abandoned movie. The documentary is set for a December release.